By JOHN VERSER
Glasgow Daily Times
June 28, 2008 04:20 pm
—
EDINA, Minn. — Whitney Wade ran into a two and a half hour rain delay and was one of 36 players left on the course when darkness suspended the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open Friday evening at Interlachen Country Club.
But the wait was definitely worth it.
The Glasgow High School and University of Georgia graduate came back with an even par on her final three holes Saturday morning to finish the second round with a par-73 to make the cut at the Open.
Wade, who started on the 10th hole Friday afternoon, was at par through 15 holes when the field was cleared due to darkness at 8:47 p.m. That left her with three holes, a little rest and a 7 a.m. start on Saturday, barely over 10 hours after darkness set in.
Wade moved on to the final two rounds, which began later Saturday morning. She opened with a 4-over 77 on Thursday for a 150 total through two rounds. Wade is 10 strokes behind the leader, Angela Park, who shot a 2-day total of 140.
Needing par over her final three holes to make the projected cut Saturday morning, Wade did just that. She opened the par-4 316 yard seventh hole even. Wade then hit par on the 227 yard par-3 eighth hole, one that she bogeyed on Thursday, and finished up her delayed second round with par on the ninth hole, set at par-4 and 413 yards.
She is one of 15 individuals tied for 60th place and 10 strokes back of the leader through two rounds. Wade was 1-under on the back nine and finished 1-over on the front nine to par. Through two rounds, the Glasgow native is even on par-3s, 7-over on par-4s and 3-under on par-5s.
After opening with a 4-over on Thursday due to what she termed “silly mistakes,” Wade cut down on those in the second round. She needed 34 putts for 18 holes on Thursday, and shaved that number by five, to 29, in the second round.
Wade got off to a great start with her 2:20 p.m. tee time at the 10th hole on Friday. She birdied three of her first four holes to open the round at 3-under.
Wade got a birdie on the par-5 528 yard 10th hole and parred the par-4 353 yard 11th hole. She then hit birdie on her next two holes, the 164 yard par-3 12th hole and the 525 yard par-5 14th hole.
“I hit the ball clear to the pin,” Wade said. “I started out one under and hit a par on the second. I hit a really good birdie on the par 5 (13th hole). I used my seven iron to get it out of the sand.”
Wade hit par on the 14th hole and went one over on the 15th hole for the second straight day. She then hit par on the 16th hole.
Wade just went off the tee on the 17th hole when the course was cleared because of weather. Rain halted play at the Open for the fifth straight year, this time for a delay of over two and a half hours, beginning at approximately 4:20 p.m.
“They gave us 30 minutes to warm up, so it wasn’t that bad,” Wade said. “We didn’t have to go back out there cold.”
The GHS grad resumed play on the 17th hole after the weather delay. Wade hit the ball into a bunker off the tee before the delay.
She ended up with a 1-over on the par-4 17th hole and concluded the back nine with a par on the par-5 530 yard 18th hole.
“I gave myself an opportunity for par on the 17th and missed it,” Wade said. “My approach hurt me on the 18th. I wanted to end it with a birdie.”
Wade shot a 1-under 36 on the back nine with three birdies, two bogeys and four pars.
She moved to the front nine and began play with five straight pars. Wade opened with par on the first hole and hoped to get a birdie on the par-5 second hole.
“My approach was a little short,” Wade said of her play on the second hole, where she made par.
After going even on the next three holes, Wade bogeyed the sixth hole, a par-4 set a 412 yards, to move to even par on the day.
That’s when darkness set in and the course was cleared at 8:47 p.m.
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